Course Syllabus

 

Seasonal Recreational Guide

A course written by:  Jan Radcliff, ITLS MS

 Welcome to the Seasonal Recreational Guide course.  Following is an overview of the course objectives, required and optional readings, course assignments, grading, and other significant information about this course.

 Purpose

The purpose this course, Seasonal Recreational Guiding, is to provide students with information on recreational guiding activities that leverages the synchronous interactivity of IVC 1(Panopto) for specific modules, online for other related modules, and face-to-face (F2F) for outdoor activities.   With the addition of virtual technologies built in, this will help facilitate individual interaction as well as help students learn to engage in collaborative learning with their peers.  

 Moab Utah is surrounded with some of the most beautiful landscape in the world, including four national parks, a state park, the Colorado River and LaSal Mountain range.  There are a host of other recreational activities besides site seeing available to tourists and locals alike.  The area is popular for hiking, biking, jeeping, rafting, as well as being popular for hosting large events, Moab attracts large events like the Moab Music Festival, Canyonlands Half Marathon, PRCA Rodeo, Moab Music Festival, and Arts Festival, and so much more.  

 Seasonal recreational jobs are in abundance in this area, and people flock in from all around the world to see the sites, participate in the adventure, and work at the same time.   Many visitors now have second homes in the area.  One of the hardest parts about living in a tourist town is getting staff that is qualified and knowledgeable about the area, not to mention having them return each season.

How it  will be instructed

Some built in guidelines will help the learner navigate the creative learning process.  It is structured for minimal collaboration.   The use of supplementary websites and YouTube videos as scaffolding tools will make tasks easier, reduce the learner’s cognitive load, and help to point out complexity.   Students will be required to participate in a number of weekly quizzes, discussions, assignments, and learning tasks. A Final project will cultivate with a written paper the last week of class.

Course Modules

1.   Permitting requirements on State, Federal, and Public Lands

2.   River Guiding Requirements and testing procedures to become a river guide

3.   Bike Trail Maintenance, Support, and Safety

4.   Jeep and SUV off road (4 x4 training and guiding)

5.   Recreational indoor sports (swimming and sports center activities)

6.    How to prepare for low level hiking excursions and snowboarding

7.   Where is the restroom? Hospitality and Tourism

 Goals and Objectives

 

  • Students will be able to work within a synchronous interactive learning environment
  • Students will benefit by learning about many of the popular recreational activities in Moab Utah and surrounding area.  
  • Students after finishing this course will be better prepared as seasonal recreational guides, to meet the high demands of the multifaceted visitors who come to this area.
  • Identify and use existing digital scaffolding tools/applications for communicating and developing recreational interpretative materials
  • Students will formulate and articulate their experiences while in the recreational field. They will identify key areas of interest by journalizing / logging their progress online, via discussions board, and twitter.  
  • In this self-directed blended learning environment, students will be able to comprehend the basic strategies, methods, and techniques  to openly engage in interpretive  activities, problem solve, and be able to fully explore new concepts, while engaging with other students in a collaborative eLearning experience.
  • The student will develop an understanding of the ethical and cultural environments of communities they will be working within.

 Compulsory Readings Link

Discover Moab  A comprehensive website listing many of Moab's recreational opportunities and guiding policies.

Optional: ATV Trails Guide Moab, UT by: Charles A. Wells, April 30, 2006.  You can download the Demo 

Course Grading

 

Task

Work

Knowledge quizzes:

There are six knowledge quizzes, These quizzes will count toward your participation points.  The quizzes are there to test your pre-knowledge of the area and local events .The tests are not timed and you can take them as many times as you need too during the week they are due.  At the end of the week they will be locked.  

 

Assignments

There are six recreation assignments where students will have to participate in a real world setting, including reading  and preparing a two page paper describing the event in one of the modules. 

 

One assignment  will utilize twitter in the online classroom.  Students are encouraged to post something interesting and pertinent to this course from a list of writing responses you will be given. If you use twitter, use the following to address to contact me  http://twitter.com/ (add your account),  I will  enter your  usage of  twitter in the grade book. If you want to share your tweet with the class use the following hash tag #moabrec so that people can search and find tweets from class members.  If you do not wish to participate in joining twitter to complete this assignment, e-mail me your information and it will be posted to the  Twitter page so that others can learn from the information.  You get points for trying.  This is an easy assignment for most, so don't let technology hold you back.

 

Discussions / social media

Students are expected to actively engage in the online weekly discussions. There will be either a written prompt, reading, image, or video to review and respond to. You will also be asked to comment on the response of at least one other person. Use this time to  participate in peer review of other student’s field experience.  As discussions come open, they will remain open for the rest of the course.  Discussions offer a great networking opportunity with your peers that you will be working with as a seasonal recreational guide.  They also are a great resource for helping you to know where to begin researching topics, gather feedback, and learn new skills.  

 

F2F Meeting

There will be two Face-to-Face (F2F) meeting dates for class activities.  The first F2F will be held the first  week of class, and the second F2F will be held the week prior to the end of the semester.  We will go over what is expected of you in this course, and open the discussion online for followup questions. 

 

Final Paper

With weekly log

Students are expected to write a final paper no longer than 5 to 6 pages on a recreational activity of their choice. You must include points from your weekly log within this paper.  

 1. Weekly log: You will need to develop a log where you can document your progress throughout the semester.  So I would suggest you begin now thinking about how you will document your progress.

2. The final project will cultivate with a  written paper the last week of class.

FINAL PAPER:   Elements of your weekly log should be incorporated into a 5 to 6 page final paper due the last week of the course. Students will report on their own personal learning discovery as it pertains to Seasonal recreational guiding.  The paper needs to be at least 5 to 6 pages long, double spaced using APA format.  Please include a separate page for your resources.

 

You will turn in your weekly log along with your final exam, due the last day of class.

 

Assessment Surveys

Extra Credit

  • The two  assessment surveys which will be in a quiz format,  will give students the  opportunity  to provide feedback on what they feel needs to be  included in future courses, as well as acknowledge what works and what doesn’t.  

 

  • The two quick video topics  will give students the opportunity to select from a choice of short video presentations.  The presentations will be on recreational activities and sporting events not included in the main study, but what might be included in future studies.  

 Grading

 There are 500 points possible in this course.  The letter grade given for this course is based on the total points earned on all assignments and class participation. The possible points earned are as follows:

           Knowledge Quizzes Participation                               36 points

            Assignments                                                            120 points

            Discussions                                                             120 points                                            

            Social Media Participation                                        20 points

           Assessment Surveys Extra Credit                             24 points

            Final Exam                                                              100 points

            TOTAL                                                                   420 points       

   

 Grading Scale

Final Grades calculated as a percentage of total points rounded to the nearest whole number

Your grade will be based on the university grading scale:

A         100-93%, 

    A-        92-90%            

B+       89-87%

    B         86-83%,

B-        82-80%

    C+       79-77%

C         76-73%

    C-        72-70%

D         69-60%        

    F          59-0%

 

 

 

 

UNIVERSITY POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Academic Freedom and Professional Responsibilities

Academic freedom is the right to teach, study, discuss, investigate, discover, create, and publish freely. Academic freedom protects the rights of faculty members in teaching and of students in learning. Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Faculty members are entitled to full freedom in teaching, research, and creative activities, subject to the limitations imposed by professional responsibility.  Your Facilty code will  further define academic freedom and professional responsibilities.

Academic Integrity – "The Honor System"

Each student has the right and duty to pursue his or her academic experience free of dishonesty. The Honor System is designed to establish the higher level of conduct expected and required of all students.
The Honor Pledge: To enhance the learning environment at your University and to develop student academic integrity, each student agrees to the following Honor Pledge:
"I pledge, on my honor, to conduct myself with the foremost level of academic integrity."
A student who lives by the Honor Pledge is a student who does more than not cheat, falsify, or plagiarize. A student who lives by the Honor Pledge:

  • Espouses academic integrity as an underlying and essential principle of the  University community;
  • Understands that each act of academic dishonesty devalues every degree that is awarded by this institution; and
  • Is a welcomed and valued member of the University.

Academic Dishonesty

The instructor of this course will take appropriate actions in response to Academic Dishonesty, as defined the University’s Student Code.  Acts of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:

  • Cheating: using, attempting to use, or providing others with any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, examinations, or in any other academic exercise or activity.  Unauthorized assistance includes:
    • Working in a group when the instructor has designated that the quiz, test, examination, or any other academic exercise or activity be done “individually;”
    • Depending on the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments;
    • Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself, in taking an examination or preparing academic work;
    • Acquiring tests or other academic material belonging to a faculty member, staff member, or another student without express permission;
    • Continuing to write after time has been called on a quiz, test, examination, or any other academic exercise or activity;
    • Submitting substantially the same work for credit in more than one class, except with prior approval of the instructor; or engaging in any form of research fraud.
  • Falsification: altering or fabricating any information or citation in an academic exercise or activity.
  • Plagiarism: representing, by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work of another person as one‘s own in any academic exercise or activity without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes using materials prepared by another person or by an agency engaged in the sale of term papers or other academic materials.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is defined by the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as any "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature." If you feel you are a victim of sexual harassment, you may talk to or file a complaint with the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Office 

Withdrawal Policy and "I" Grade Policy

Students are required to complete all courses for which they are registered by the end of the semester. In some cases, a student may be unable to complete all of the coursework because of extenuating circumstances, but not due to poor performance or to retain financial aid. The term ‘extenuating’ circumstances includes: (1) incapacitating illness which prevents a student from attending classes for a minimum period of two weeks, (2) a death in the immediate family, (3) financial responsibilities requiring a student to alter a work schedule to secure employment, (4) change in work schedule as required by an employer, or (5) other emergencies deemed appropriate by the instructor.

Students with Disabilities

Students with ADA-documented physical, sensory, emotional or medical impairments may be eligible for reasonable accommodations. Veterans may also be eligible for services. All accommodations are coordinated through the Disability Resource Center (DRC). Please contact the DRC prior to or as early in the semester as possible. Alternate formats for course content are available with advanced notice. 
Contacting the Disability Resource Center (DRC):

  • On Campus: 
  • Phone: 
  • Website: 

Disability related resources for current students:

  • DRC Student Handbook
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student Handbook
  • Disability Related Scholarships
  • Campus Resources
  • Documentation Guidelines
  • Online Resources for Students with Disabilities

Diversity Statement

Regardless of intent, careless or ill-informed remarks can be offensive and hurtful to others and detract from the learning climate. If you feel uncomfortable in a classroom due to offensive language or actions by an instructor or student(s) regarding ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, contact:

  • Student Services:
  • Student Advocates: 
  • Access and Diversity: 
  • Multicultural Programs: 
  • LGBTQA Programs: 
  • Provost‘s Office Diversity Resources: 

You can learn about your student rights by visiting:
The Code of Policies and Procedures for Students at your University: 

Grievance Process

Students who feel they have been unfairly treated may file a grievance through the channels and procedures described in the Student Code: Grievances.

Full details for Academic Policies and Procedures can be found at:

  • Student Conduct
  • Student Code
  • Academic Integrity
  • Selected Academic Policies and Procedures
  • Academic Policies and Procedures
  • Academic Freedom and Professional Responsibility Policy

Emergency Procedures

In the case of a drill or real emergency, classes will be notified to evacuate the building by the sound of the fire/emergency alarm system or by a building representative. In the event of a disaster that may interfere with either notification, evacuate as the situation dictates (i.e., in an earthquake when shaking ceases or immediately when a fire is discovered). Turn off computers and take any personal items with you. Elevators should not be used; instead, use the closest stairs.

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due